Andy Holden & Darren Dowling - TVR Sagaris at Spa
Discussion
I have just spoken to Andy Holden following his and Darren Dowlings fantastic finish in the Dutch Supercar Championship at Spa.
The team Holden Sagaris with its AJP V8 suffered a wheel bearing failure on Saturday's race when running in 7th place after qualifiyng 12th out of 54 cars.
Today (Sunday)Andy started the car from the back of the grid of 54, pitting in 17th place and, after a very slow fuel stop, Darren continued the charge to finish the hour long race 6th overall on the same lap as the DTM Audi that won the race. 2:33sec laps show how quick the car is and when one looks at the car's origins as a Tuscan Challenge Car this is an amazing tribute to all involved; Andy Holden who built the car and both Andy and Darren as drivers and of course all those in the team.
Well done to Team Holden.
The team Holden Sagaris with its AJP V8 suffered a wheel bearing failure on Saturday's race when running in 7th place after qualifiyng 12th out of 54 cars.
Today (Sunday)Andy started the car from the back of the grid of 54, pitting in 17th place and, after a very slow fuel stop, Darren continued the charge to finish the hour long race 6th overall on the same lap as the DTM Audi that won the race. 2:33sec laps show how quick the car is and when one looks at the car's origins as a Tuscan Challenge Car this is an amazing tribute to all involved; Andy Holden who built the car and both Andy and Darren as drivers and of course all those in the team.
Well done to Team Holden.
Fantastic achievement ,well done chaps 
.
It's amazing how these Tuscan based cars can still cut it , in the company of far more expensive and "sophisticated" opposition.
Great to know that there is still a place for good old,hairy chested sports cars ,with rear wheel drive, big power and no additives
.
.It's amazing how these Tuscan based cars can still cut it , in the company of far more expensive and "sophisticated" opposition.
Great to know that there is still a place for good old,hairy chested sports cars ,with rear wheel drive, big power and no additives
.Edited by RetroWheels on Sunday 14th October 18:56
Hello all and thanks for all the kind comments.
Finally back and still delighted with the weekend. Chris, Darren and I did a lot of work on the car after Silverstone and were gutted to have a wheel bearing fail on Saturday when we were running in 7th.
Starting 51st on Sunday we thought a top 10 finish would be the best we could possibly achieve, and that would be a really good result. So to get 6th, some 15 seconds behind the third placed car and after giving away 20 seconds during the pit stop - it was a huge result. Imagine what might have happened had we started in 10th or so!
The car is now quite a long way from a Tuscan Challenge car and it has completely different handling charateristics. The gearing was just right for the circuit and the sequential box made a big diference. But Spa is an aero circuit and we put a lot of work into that for this race and there is more to come. We fitted a new splitter with a different profile, carefully positioned strakes on the diffuser and a gurney flap on the wing. The rear of the car was completely nailed down and we had some power-on understeer that was largely dealt with by stiffer springs and going stiffer on the roll bar. We need to go stiffer still. You could not run a Tuscan remotely near the set up we have on the car - in fact we have had to stop thinking of it as being related to a Tuscan because the set up is so different.
Through Eau Rouge the car was absolutely superb. I was taking the tiniest of 'confidence' lifts on turn in and then it was flat all the way through. The car was so quick I was 5 lengths behind a Porsche 997 GT3 on the way in and 5 lengths ahead of him on the way out. Awesome!
There is still plenty of potential in the car and to achieve this on just its second time out and with no testing.... if I were Dutch I'd be worried....
Finally back and still delighted with the weekend. Chris, Darren and I did a lot of work on the car after Silverstone and were gutted to have a wheel bearing fail on Saturday when we were running in 7th.
Starting 51st on Sunday we thought a top 10 finish would be the best we could possibly achieve, and that would be a really good result. So to get 6th, some 15 seconds behind the third placed car and after giving away 20 seconds during the pit stop - it was a huge result. Imagine what might have happened had we started in 10th or so!
The car is now quite a long way from a Tuscan Challenge car and it has completely different handling charateristics. The gearing was just right for the circuit and the sequential box made a big diference. But Spa is an aero circuit and we put a lot of work into that for this race and there is more to come. We fitted a new splitter with a different profile, carefully positioned strakes on the diffuser and a gurney flap on the wing. The rear of the car was completely nailed down and we had some power-on understeer that was largely dealt with by stiffer springs and going stiffer on the roll bar. We need to go stiffer still. You could not run a Tuscan remotely near the set up we have on the car - in fact we have had to stop thinking of it as being related to a Tuscan because the set up is so different.
Through Eau Rouge the car was absolutely superb. I was taking the tiniest of 'confidence' lifts on turn in and then it was flat all the way through. The car was so quick I was 5 lengths behind a Porsche 997 GT3 on the way in and 5 lengths ahead of him on the way out. Awesome!
There is still plenty of potential in the car and to achieve this on just its second time out and with no testing.... if I were Dutch I'd be worried....
I think the difference would be several seconds a lap and a Tuscan would cook its tyres over this race duration. The Sagaris is very kind to its rear tyres in particular.
I should also add, having re-read Hugh's original post, that whilst I built all the bodywork and did all the fabrication work with help from Charlie Barnard, Darren did a great deal of the mechanical bolting together. Some of the bodywork was supplied by Fred, and I have benefited hugely from the experience and advice of Tim and Terry. Most recently Chris Gregory has helped make the car go faster.
I certainly bore the brunt, but I didn't build the car on my own!
I should also add, having re-read Hugh's original post, that whilst I built all the bodywork and did all the fabrication work with help from Charlie Barnard, Darren did a great deal of the mechanical bolting together. Some of the bodywork was supplied by Fred, and I have benefited hugely from the experience and advice of Tim and Terry. Most recently Chris Gregory has helped make the car go faster.
I certainly bore the brunt, but I didn't build the car on my own!
Edited by teamHOLDENracing on Tuesday 16th October 21:35
Just like to add to Andys comments if i may.
Firstly the car is a testament to Andys hard work over the last 18 months or so (and Yvonnes and Aless' patientce and support).
Both drivers performed faultlessly over the weekend, Andy had one or two minor offs when working through the field, but passing 34 cars some contact, mistake was inevitable.
Darren Dowling drove superbly all weekend, not putting a foot wrong and reeling the fast cars in at an outstanding rate in the second half hour of the race.
Theres still a lot to be done to the car, and a handful of seconds to be drawn out.
eta Andy passed 34 cas not 24
Firstly the car is a testament to Andys hard work over the last 18 months or so (and Yvonnes and Aless' patientce and support).
Both drivers performed faultlessly over the weekend, Andy had one or two minor offs when working through the field, but passing 34 cars some contact, mistake was inevitable.
Darren Dowling drove superbly all weekend, not putting a foot wrong and reeling the fast cars in at an outstanding rate in the second half hour of the race.
Theres still a lot to be done to the car, and a handful of seconds to be drawn out.
eta Andy passed 34 cas not 24
Edited by racemech on Wednesday 17th October 12:58
racemech said:
Just like to add to Andys comments if i may.
Firstly the car is a testament to Andys hard work over the last 18 months or so (and Yvonnes and Aless' patientce and support).
Both drivers performed faultlessly over the weekend, Andy had one or two minor offs when working through the field, but passing 34 cars some contact, mistake was inevitable.
Darren Dowling drove superbly all weekend, not putting a foot wrong and reeling the fast cars in at an outstanding rate in the second half hour of the race.
Theres still a lot to be done to the car, and a handful of seconds to be drawn out.
eta Andy passed 34 cas not 24
Just think how much faster it would have been without the weight of those air jacksFirstly the car is a testament to Andys hard work over the last 18 months or so (and Yvonnes and Aless' patientce and support).
Both drivers performed faultlessly over the weekend, Andy had one or two minor offs when working through the field, but passing 34 cars some contact, mistake was inevitable.
Darren Dowling drove superbly all weekend, not putting a foot wrong and reeling the fast cars in at an outstanding rate in the second half hour of the race.
Theres still a lot to be done to the car, and a handful of seconds to be drawn out.
eta Andy passed 34 cas not 24
Edited by racemech on Wednesday 17th October 12:58
Top performance you guys.
Neil.
teamHOLDENracing said:
Sorry, yes it will be on Motors TV, not sure when yet.
Video will also be on the Dutch Supercar Challenge website in due course, but with commentary in Dutch
The Spa races (in English!) will be shown on Motors TV (Channel 413) on the following dates and times: Video will also be on the Dutch Supercar Challenge website in due course, but with commentary in Dutch
3 Nov: 15.00
4 Nov: 01.30
4 Nov: 22.30
5 Nov: 11.30
The Rockingham TVR bash is also being repeated as follows:
27 Oct: 16.00
28 Oct: 02.00
30 Oct: 13.30
2 Nov: 13.30
2 Nov: 18.00
Just, by chance, caught the Rockingham coverage on MotorsTV yesterday evening.
Great racing , as usual, and it brought back recent memories of you guys running in our V8 series last year.
I don't think I've ever witnessed such camaraderie amongst a bunch of competing drivers - highlights for me, from this perspective, were Dean Cook arriving late at Snetterton whilst everybody else was already in the assembly area, and everybody dashing away to help get his car off the trailer whilst he signed on, and Tim and Darren walking back from the prizegiving at Donington, Tim with a trophy. "Tim crashed in to me. and bent my steering, so I had to retire" said Darren, with no animosity about losing out at all.
Your welcome presence kept the V8 series alive last year, and it's a pity it couldn't muster the support from elsewhere. Your enthusiasm, camaraderie, presentation standards, and racing ethic are a credit to British motorsport.
John Reid has created a great series, and all power to him. Hope to meet you around the circuits again next season.
Cheers
Steve Wood - Britcar Press Officer
Great racing , as usual, and it brought back recent memories of you guys running in our V8 series last year.
I don't think I've ever witnessed such camaraderie amongst a bunch of competing drivers - highlights for me, from this perspective, were Dean Cook arriving late at Snetterton whilst everybody else was already in the assembly area, and everybody dashing away to help get his car off the trailer whilst he signed on, and Tim and Darren walking back from the prizegiving at Donington, Tim with a trophy. "Tim crashed in to me. and bent my steering, so I had to retire" said Darren, with no animosity about losing out at all.
Your welcome presence kept the V8 series alive last year, and it's a pity it couldn't muster the support from elsewhere. Your enthusiasm, camaraderie, presentation standards, and racing ethic are a credit to British motorsport.
John Reid has created a great series, and all power to him. Hope to meet you around the circuits again next season.
Cheers
Steve Wood - Britcar Press Officer
Steve Britcar said:
Just, by chance, caught the Rockingham coverage on MotorsTV yesterday evening.
Great racing , as usual, and it brought back recent memories of you guys running in our V8 series last year.
I don't think I've ever witnessed such camaraderie amongst a bunch of competing drivers - highlights for me, from this perspective, were Dean Cook arriving late at Snetterton whilst everybody else was already in the assembly area, and everybody dashing away to help get his car off the trailer whilst he signed on, and Tim and Darren walking back from the prizegiving at Donington, Tim with a trophy. "Tim crashed in to me. and bent my steering, so I had to retire" said Darren, with no animosity about losing out at all.
Your welcome presence kept the V8 series alive last year, and it's a pity it couldn't muster the support from elsewhere. Your enthusiasm, camaraderie, presentation standards, and racing ethic are a credit to British motorsport.
John Reid has created a great series, and all power to him. Hope to meet you around the circuits again next season.
Cheers
Steve Wood - Britcar Press Officer
Thanks for your kind comments Steve. We too were disappointed that the V8 Supercars never got off the ground. However, a number of us are hoping that we'll be able to do some of the Britcar rounds in 2008. Not sure how possible this will be based on your provisional regs, not from a technical view point but more of a practical one as the rules don't really appear to allow for the possibility of guest/invitation drivers.Great racing , as usual, and it brought back recent memories of you guys running in our V8 series last year.
I don't think I've ever witnessed such camaraderie amongst a bunch of competing drivers - highlights for me, from this perspective, were Dean Cook arriving late at Snetterton whilst everybody else was already in the assembly area, and everybody dashing away to help get his car off the trailer whilst he signed on, and Tim and Darren walking back from the prizegiving at Donington, Tim with a trophy. "Tim crashed in to me. and bent my steering, so I had to retire" said Darren, with no animosity about losing out at all.
Your welcome presence kept the V8 series alive last year, and it's a pity it couldn't muster the support from elsewhere. Your enthusiasm, camaraderie, presentation standards, and racing ethic are a credit to British motorsport.
John Reid has created a great series, and all power to him. Hope to meet you around the circuits again next season.
Cheers
Steve Wood - Britcar Press Officer
Any positive comments you can give us on that subject would be most welcome as we are keen to join in some rounds. Cheers,
Steve
Yes, I noted that Andy. I think we'd also have to pay the extra £100 late entry fee too. Presumably this means that it would all be rather last minute stuff which makes it a bit difficult to plan for, hence if there was anything more they could do, so much the better. Obviously, I can see it from their side of the fence, in that if they can fill the grids with Teams wishing to sign up for the whole Series it must be better for the Organisers. Perhaps they can help us further once we get nearer to the start of the Season? - Hope so.
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